In its early configurations, instant messaging (IM) was but a trivial technology providing little more that email without lag time. IM is significantly different, today. Today, IM delivers far more than mere text capability. Many of today's IM software allows a user to swap files, share applications, play computer games, trade digital greeting cards, and interact via streaming audio and video. Moreover, a user can employ IM to send text messages to cell phones and pagers, as well as to send voice calls to telephones.
Instant messaging is quickly becoming an essential part of today's personal computing infrastructures. There are now a wide variety of IM client products with their associated IM networks from which a user may select. However, choosing one is not always easy. In many cases, such IM clients and IM networks cannot intercommunicate. Thus, a user employing one IM client may not be able to communicate with another user employing a disparate IM client. This may sometimes result in a user selecting an IM client and associated IM network based on what their friends, employer, or that like, may have selected, rather than based on features, functions, costs, and similar factors. Therefore, it is with respect to these considerations and others that the present invention has been made.